Follow The Rules
by Ariana Black
Summary: Oddment Alert! McGonagallDumbledore, taking place just after the Whomping Willow Incident. If you don't like it, I don't see anyone twisting your arm to read it, so don't


A/N- I bet you're all wondering what Oddment means.  Well, it's the term I made up to describe an unusual pairing that you don't often see.  I don't know why I decided to make a term for it, I just felt like it.  But it got your attention, didn't it?  Anyway, read on to find out just what the pairing is.  Oh yeah, this takes place just after Sirius sent Snape down to the Whomping Willow when Remus was in werewolf mode down there, when James rescued Snape.

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            Minerva stormed into the staff room, slamming the door behind her.  She was pleased to see that the room was mostly empty.  Only Albus was there, but she paid no attention to him.  She went over to one of the drawers on the table, where spare parchments and quills for the teachers were kept, among other things.  One of these things was a simple rock that she kept there.  Still fuming, she grabbed the rock, threw it to the floor, and began transfiguring it into random things.  This was how she dealt with her anger; transfiguring the poor rock until she collapsed from exhaustion or she managed to calm down.  It was her equivalent of hitting a pillow, or counting to ten.  Dumbledore sat by calmly, watching her from behind his book, as she sent the rock through a rapid series of transformations.

"What do I have to do to get through to you?" she mumbled, glaring furiously at the rock. "Could have killed him...very disappointed...didn't stop to think once, did you?"

            Minerva continued muttering to herself, cursing at the rock occasionally.  She sped up the transformations, changing it into increasingly difficult objects.  The more difficult she made them, the more they calmed her down.  Dumbledore simply let her continue.  At least she wasn't taking her foul mood out on the students, or teachers.  He just sat by silently, watching her, waiting for her to calm down until he said something.

"Didn't even think of the consequences...should have been expelled." She continued muttering.  Then, she whipped around to glare at Dumbledore. "And stop staring at me, would you?!"

            Dumbledore couldn't help laughing lightly.  McGonagall threw him a glare that made most student shrink back in terror, but Dumbledore took no notice of it.

"How can you laugh at a time like this?" she demanded angrily.

"I can't help it." He said gently, his mouth still fixed in a smile. "The expression on your face just reminded me of something I hadn't thought of in years."

"And what would that be?" she asked, still angry at him, though her curiosity got the better of her.

"That time, in your third year, when you tried to transfigure the cactus into a clock, and ended up turning it into a rock.  I have never had a student get so angry over something so small." He replied.  Despite herself, Minerva smiled.  But it quickly faded.  She was bound and determined to stay mad at him.

"Such a fit you threw, yelling at your wand as though it were it's fault." He continued.

"Well, it certainly wasn't _my fault." She snapped, turning away from him.  She wanted to enjoy her bad mood.  She didn't want him cheering her up._

"Ah, of course not." he said innocently. "Now, why don't you tell me what has you so upset all of a sudden?"

"It's those Marauders." She replied angrily. "I'm sick and tired of constantly having to give them detention for their pranks against the Slytherins.  If I didn't know better, I'd say they actually enjoyed detention.  And if I take any more house points off, Gryffindor may be the first house in history to have a negative in the House cup."

"Ah." Was all he said.

"And now, I find out that Black actually sent Snape down to the Whomping Willow, while Lupin was transformed down there no less.  He could have been killed!  You hardly even punished him at all for that one!" she snapped at him.

"Severus has promised not to tell what he saw.  And I am confident the Marauders will not tell that Remus is a werewolf either.  I suspect they may already have know." Albus smiled. "As for Sirius, I think a month's detention fits the crime."

"For attempted murder?  Oh yes, a month's detention is more than enough." She said sarcastically, sending the rock through another rapid series of transformations as her anger rose again.

"Sirius has a temper, and it got the best of him.  I can't fully blame him for that." Dumbledore said soothingly. "Especially not when that is what you are doing to this innocent rock at the moment."

"They provoked me." She replied, referring to the Marauders once again. "If they actually behaved themselves for once-"

"You would die of shock, or suspect they are up to something." He interrupted.  She glared at him again, but didn't reply.

"You have to admit, Minerva." He continued after a short silence. "Some of their jokes are rather amusing.  Quite original too."

"How Potter could have become Head Boy with a detention record like that, I'll never know." She muttered.  "And as for their pranks, I can't believe you actually approve of them."

"Not all of them.  Just the good ones." He replied calmly. "Such as that one a few weeks ago.  Quite an amazing feat, wasn't it?  Gluing the Slytherin House table to the ceiling of the Great Hall."

"It most certainly was not." she snapped.

"Oh come now Minerva." Albus smiled. "I seem to recall you playing a few pranks like that when you were a student here."

"That's in the past.  I most certainly don't approve of antics like that now." She hissed.  She hated it when he brought up her school days.

"Is that why you don't approve of James and Sirius' pranks?  Because you see a bit of yourself in them?" he asked knowingly.  Damn him, she thought.  I swear he's a mind reader sometimes.

"Perhaps." She replied. "Someone needs to be stern with them.  I know I did-"

            She broke off her thought in mid sentence.  The past was one thing she most certainly did not want to talk about, especially not when she was still fuming about Sirius' prank.

"Tell me, Minerva." Dumbledore said gently, getting to his feet and walking towards her. "When did you become such a hardened and strict person?  When I think of you as a student in my class, you had almost the same disregard for rules that James and Sirius have.  When did you change so dramatically?"

"If you must know, the day Crouch put my father in Azkaban." She snapped angrily, turning away from him again.  She hated talking about the past; she'd tried so hard to block it out.

"And how did that make you so rule obsessed?" he asked softly.

"Crouch had no evidence against him.  My father would _never have hurt anyone.  He raised me.  I know what kind of man he is.  And he certainly did not have had anything to do with those Muggles being attacked." She cried. "Crouch twisted the laws to his own purposes, so he could put him in Azkaban.  He and my father hated each other; Crouch knew my father was sick.  That he would die if he went to Azkaban.  His health couldn't handle it."_

"Yes, that part I know." He said. "But how did that change you so much?"

"Crouch framed my father.  He may not have committed the crime himself, but he was the one who convicted him.  He twisted the laws for his revenge.  He totally disregarded the laws."  She took a deep breath before continuing.  She hadn't wanted to speak about this, especially not to him.  But he'd always had a way of making her talk when she didn't want to. "I guess, something in me decided that because he hadn't followed the rules, that I had to make up for that.  I was still quite young, just out of school.  I still depended on my father for so much.  And Crouch took him away from me.  Breaking the rules had killed my father.  I wouldn't let something like that happen again."

"Minerva, it wasn't your fault your father died." Dumbledore said soothingly, placing his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to face him.  She refused to look at him.  Her anger was quite gone now, replaced by a deep rooted sadness.

"Yes it was." She insisted. "My father was only there because he was looking for me.  We'd had a small fight, about my pranks, and I'd run out of the house.  The attack happened at one of my favorite places to go when I was angry, and he'd gone looking for me.  Because he was looking for me, Crouch was able to convict my father."

"Minerva, you can't blame yourself for your father dying in prison." He said gently, placing his fingers under her chin.  Slowly, he forced her to look up at him.  Her eyes avoided his still, looking at various spots around the room. "Minerva, look at me."

            Reluctantly, she did.  She felt tears brimming at her eyes as she continued thinking about her father.  Her eyes locked with his and she felt a tear run down her cheek now.

"It wasn't your fault he died.  Crouch was the one who convicted him, not you."

"But it was because of my pranks that he was captured." She insisted. "Because of my pranks, we got in that silly fight, and I left, and he went looking for me.  My father was the only person who ever really loved me, and he died."

            Then, suddenly, he placed a sweet and gentle kiss on her lips.  She was so stunned that she did not immediately pull away.  And even once she realized what was happening, she stayed put.  What are you doing Minerva, she shouted at herself.  He was your teacher once.  He's your boss now.  He's nearly twice your age.  He's-oh, shut up.  He pulled away from her then, smiling gently down at her.  She was still absolutely speechless.

"He wasn't the only one to ever love you, Minerva." He told her softly.  Without another word, he turned and walked out of the staff room, leaving her still standing there, speechless.

            Well that was unexpected, she thought.  You aren't angry anymore, are you? a nagging voice in her head said.  Oh shut up.

A/N 2- yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking.  Ew! Dumbledore kissing McGonagall?  Ew!   Hey, wait a minute, that's what I'm thinking too.  My only excuse is I was incredibly bored, and I got the idea from my Singing Contest fic.  Okay, anyway, see that little button down there?  No, not the report abuse button, the one that says 'Click Here To Submit A Review."  Use that to tell me if you liked my story, which I hope you did.  Notice the button says "review," not flame.  You can only flame me if you can find the Submit Flame button.  Okay, so that probably isn't true, but at least be nice to me about it.


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